The Beginning

         A life can be completely altered in a single moment.  Though it might not be clear at first, the change is evident looking back to the one instance, no matter how small, that revolutionized the rest of someone’s life.  I experienced a moment like that, and it happened in my church when I was in seventh grade. I would never have fathomed just how much a two-year-old girl, Sarah, would change and shape my life when I first met her.  She was not like the other two-year-olds in the Sunday school class where I helped, for she did not talk, and while other kids chased each other and tried to force play food into my mouth, this little girl did her own thing.  It was not until many months later that I found out what set this toddler apart from the others: she was autistic.
A little over a year later, I became Sarah’s “shadow” at church, someone who could keep a close eye on her, play with her, and make sure she did not get into anything she was not supposed to.  I quickly learned that this job was not as easy as I thought it would be.  In fact, it was really hard, for this petite brunette was unexpectedly swift and incredibly clever.  If she did not get what she wanted, she was liable to bite, pinch, pull hair, or ram her head into my stomach.  I found myself tired and surprisingly sore after shadowing her, and a week later I would still have bite-shaped bruises.
I could have given up and let someone else watch her, and I suppose my current life would be a lot different, but I was determined to keep going, and I am grateful I did.  I started to get a glimpse into how Sarah’s mind worked.  She loved stacking things, playing in water, and having her hand drawn, and when she got a certain cunning grin on her face, I knew she was about to make a dash for the open door.  I started to fall in love with her mischievous spirit and joyful giggle, and I could tell she liked me, too, for she would gesture for me to hold her, or crawl up in my lap and fall asleep.  It still was not easy, for challenges almost always arose, but it was always worth it.
I then started working with other autistic children in my church, and I learned that they were all very different.  Each child had something that made them frantic, and something that made them laugh uncontrollably, but they all brought a joy to my heart and a smile to my face.  I got to know the families of these children, and started babysitting them on a fairly regular basis.  I learned a lot about what autism really is, the different levels of severity, and the many things that families with autistic children have to sacrifice and adjust in their everyday lives.
That takes me to where I am now.  I am a senior in high school who is asked 15 times a day what I want to do for college.  For a while, I did not know how to respond to this frequently asked question, but now I smile and tell them that I want to major in special education.  I realize that if I had not been working in that two-year-old Sunday school class five years ago with that little, curious girl, then special education would probably not be my choice major or career.  I am overjoyed, however, that that is the path that God lead me on, and I am immensely thankful for that one moment that is shaping the rest of my life.